Called to Create: An LDSPMA Podcast

Lisa Mangum knew from her earliest years that she wanted a life surrounded by words and books. Growing up, she and her mother “bonded over punctuation marks and paper clips.” Now as managing editor at Shadow Mountain Publishing, Lisa has guided several writers who have become New York Times bestselling authors. In this episode, Lisa tells all writers, “You are important, and the story that you have is important.” 

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Al Carraway’s infectious enthusiasm and “wild optimism” has helped propel her forward through her difficult and uncanny journey of faith. A multi-award-winning author and international speaker, she shares her passion for life, happiness, and the gospel of Jesus Christ. True to her bold New York authenticity, Al talks about her disappointments and frustrations and how bringing them to God makes all the difference.

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Known for her work as an actress, writer, radio show host, and co-producer of Once I Was a Beehive, Lisa Valentine Clark has “stumbled into” a variety of roles throughout her life and career. With her trademark humor, Lisa shares what she has learned from her experiences and how she feels “called to create a beautiful life” to honor the legacy of her late husband, Christopher.

Real Moms: Making It Up As We Go
BYU Radio's: "The Lisa Show"
BYU Devotional Speech “Yes, and . . .”: The Creative Art of Living 

An experienced podcast host, Connie Sokol brings her trademark enthusiasm and positivity as the new host of the LDSPMA podcast Called to Create. She is a bestselling author, media personality, speaker, and devoted mother of seven children. Connie describes the Called to Create podcast as “part devotional, part scripture, part life experience, and part kitchen table chat.” With her expert guidance, podcast guests will share their successes and struggles as Latter-day Saint creatives, along with tips and tricks for navigating the journey of one who feels called to create.

Rachel Christensen -Guest Host
Rachelle J. Christensen award - winning and bestselling author of over twenty books, was born and raised in a small farming town in Idaho. She graduated cum laude from Utah State University with a degree in psychology and a minor in music. She enjoys singing and songwriting, playing the piano, running, motivational speaking, and of course reading. Rachelle has an amazing husband, five cute kids, three cats, and dozens of chickens.

Sherry Meidell is a watercolor illustrator who often sees in life what others miss. For her, art is a way to connect with people and highlight the grandeur of life. Sherry serves as president of the Utah Watercolor Society and has received acclaim for illustrations of children’s books and landscapes. Watercolor is magic, she says. You don’t always know how water is going to react to paper. “Often,” she says, “it turns out better than expected. ” For Sherry, creating art is a spiritual experience—the inspiration coming from without. Like her granddaughter who gave $3 to her grandfather’s medical care, all the money she had, Sherry counsels to “give the creative process all you have.” Finding that inspiration sometimes means climbing to the cliff’s edge for the right perspective or noticing the pioneer mansions that line Onion Street in her hometown, or stopping to see a spray of flowers outside the front door. Sherry has illustrated several children's books. She is currently serving as president of the Utah Watercolor Society. You can find her work at sherrymeidell.com.

This episode starts with a conventional interview, but then we caught Sherry on a live microphone sharing some candid words of wisdom and encouragement to an aspiring artist. Her advice was so good that we decided to leave that part of the conversation in.

CJ Madsen is a graduate student studying choral conducting at Brigham Young University. CJ received his bachelor's degree in piano performance, also from BYU. CJ is fluent in composing, piano accompanying, arranging, and singing. He has performed in over 275 concerts and recitals during his time at Brigham Young University. CJ's recent choral/orchestral composition, One Fold, One Shepherd, has been performed seven times and was recently released as an album. He is currently writing "He Shall Prepare a Way", an opera based on the opening chapters of The Book of Mormon. CJ's musical inspirations as a conductor and composer come from his beliefs in Jesus Christ, from his life as a Utah college student, and from his family. https://cjmadsenmusic.com/

Becky Fawson pursues her passion for art with the same ferocity she did as an 18-year-old first-generation college student. Over the years, as she raised her family, she continued to hone and refine her skills as a graphic designer and illustrator. But it wasn’t until the grandchildren needed better picture books that she found her niche. “There are books that you want to hide from your children because you don't want them to bring it to you one more time,” she says.  Great children’s books, she says, will entertain, inspire, and visually delight. Fame and worldly notoriety are not the end game for Becky, but helping others feel valued by illustrating their story is. “I'm working with people, and they need somebody to value them too,” she says. If her art helps another feel their life has meaning, then Becky has lived well. Where some grandmas make quilts for their grandchildren, “I paint portraits,” she says.

Since 2014, Margaret has worked in the Democratic Republic of Congo to help start the film industry there. Her Congolese team recently released its first feature--Heart of Africa--in both the Congo and the USA. Margaret worked for twenty years with Darius Gray telling stories of Black Latter-day Saint pioneers. She taught creative writing at BYU for thirty years and is a much-published author. 

Jeff Wheeler is a sensitive soul. He once broke into wild tears as a young teen after reading a novel. But now, as a writer who creates books so engaging that readers stay awake late into the night, he feels no guilt for their loss of sleep. In this week’s podcast, Jeff shares his desire to create spellbinding fantasy fiction using religious themes that depict protagonists of strong moral character. His books, many of which are on the Wall Street Journal Bestseller list, stand in stark contrast to the grim and the dark and the gruesome that editors in the popular fiction field crave. 

Gregg Deal is a member of the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe. Husband and father of four, Deal describes himself as a professional disruptor of the cowboy/Indian stereotype. He combines his artistic skills with a love of history to tell the story of his people, stirring new appreciation and soul searching in his audience.

On this episode Deal and host Ted Finch talk about the compelling drive to create, having persistence and faith despite setbacks and misunderstandings, the need to be true to your own beliefs, the healing power of art, and the covenant responsibility of Native Americans to care for their homeland.

Learn more about Gregg Deal and his work.